The young girl looked at Wang Anfeng, a trace of apprehension flickering in her heart.
But Wang Anfeng paid no heed to these things.
All he knew was that the person before him, who had climbed through the window wielding a weapon, must harbor ill intentions. His longsword, initially meant to be retracted, was now lifted instead, its momentum building as the Sword Qi flickered uncertainly along the sword's edge, ready to cleave diagonally.
The girl sensed an underlying hostility, a stabbing pain forming between her brows. She raised her longsword and said,
"Do not misunderstand,"
"I have come to you with urgent matters to discuss..."
Wang Anfeng grasped his longsword tight, preventing the Vigorous Qi from leaking out, his expression slightly cold. Without making a move, nor sheathing his sword, he simply said,
This mastery of swordsmanship he displayed was honed through countless confrontations — such skills were unmatched in Copper Man Lane. When clashing with enemies where life and death were at stake, sheer finesse was insufficient compared to Wang Anfeng. Hence, upon witnessing his seemingly effortless prowess, the girl couldn't help but gasp sharply.
Her estimation of the young man before her rose anew, and she somewhat regretted her rash decision to come tonight.
But now, with the arrow already on the bow, she had no choice but to proceed. After briefly pondering, she gripped her sword, her thumb pressing against the sword's guard, pushing out an inch of the blade, ready to defend herself if the opposite side made a sudden move. With a slight relief in her heart, she said,
"This matter involves the Zhao family."
Upon hearing about the Zhao family, Wang Anfeng's mind cleared a bit, but he relaxed not at all.
He had previously suspected that the young man's spending spree was no simple affair. Consequently, he did not allow any surprise to show on his face, thwarting the girl's intent to appear knowledgeable and superior. The unusually calm demeanor of the young man before her made it difficult for her to continue, and after a brief, awkward pause without a response, she was forced to add,
"It's a big business deal... really a big deal..."
"It was originally meant for that Zhao young man, but now I have no choice but to turn to you."
Wang Anfeng paused, a sudden clarity striking him about the crux of the matter, and he asked,
"Are you after fame?"
The young girl was slightly taken aback and asked,
Not only was it about gaining fame, but ideally, it would involve the surrounding county's gangs as well.
Having pieced together the day's events, Wang Anfeng understood slightly better but remained composed, merely keeping his hand on his sword, slightly lowering his guard as he spoke,
The girl, curious and slightly choked by her words, almost couldn't go on, feeling that the man in front of her was as unaware of the mood as her uncle, making it hard for her to feel any fondness. But, as she needed something from him now, she held back her frustration and continued,
"The root of this matter starts from a few days ago on Qingfeng Edge, when Great Elder Murong Qingxue shattered three thousand li of heavenly light with a single strike."
Wang Anfeng listened with slight surprise but did not interrupt, allowing the girl to continue revealing the sequence of events over the past several days.
Though Qingfeng Edge was a hidden and honorable sect, Great Elder's strike that ranked seventh in the world had shaken the martial world, sending the nearby Heretic Sects into a panic, unable to rest day or night.
Jianghu was interconnected, with righteousness and evil waxing and waning.
The most direct manifestation of this was the violent shifts in power among the gangs of the nearby counties.
Two hundred years ago, after the Sword Saint became unmatched, his first achievement was to wipe out the local evil sects with his sword, strengthening his own sect. This practice had become routine over the centuries, occurring often enough that they feared it immensely.
To prevent being caught pants down after leaving a brothel, only to find their lairs flattened by a master's casual strike, less established evil sects and some brutal gangs began to scatter with their disciples and treasures.
Even those evil sects with firmer roots pulled back their disciples, shrinking in fear instead of flaunting their power as usual.
This significant shift, for common folk and minor gangs, meant little compared to a good meal that day; however, for some ambitious individuals, it represented a great opportunity.
With the departure of these evil gangs, their former strongholds and potential business would be up for grabs.
The young girl before him belonged to one of the nearby gangs.
The original plan was to use that young master of the Zhao family as a puppet, leveraging the reputation of the Flying Cloud swordsman to gather people and divide more benefits, then secretly absorb their group. This way, they could gain more while avoiding conflicts.
Certainly, many details were not disclosed to Wang Anfeng, only a vague overview presented, but from what he knew, it involved a strategy of openly mending roads while secretly moving through hidden passages, undoubtedly involving considerable effort.
Yet unexpectedly, their plans had been intercepted halfway.
Leaving them without even a sip of soup to claim.
At this, the young girl glared fiercely at Wang Anfeng, her teeth itching with hatred.
Wang Anfeng was quite innocent in this matter; he hadn't known how important today's events were for the group involving the girl before him.
The girl had initially planned for the Zhao young master to seize the opportunity to become famous, rallying people to dominate a region, but she didn't expect the fame would be wholly claimed by him. Even the contingency of inviting the Flying Cloud swordsman had fallen through within ten moves against Wang Anfeng.
After glaring at Wang Anfeng, the girl suppressed her discontent and spoke,
"That's the matter laid out. Today, I came following my uncle's advice, sincerely inviting you to join our group."